Engineering: Skilled Workers

Bill Olner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of future engineering skills needs.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	The assessment of future engineering skills needs is led by SEMTA, the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for science, engineering and manufacturing technologies sector. SEMTA have produced sector skills agreements (SSAs) for the aerospace, automotive, electronics and marine sectors in 2005-06. Each SSA identifies current workforce development and skills needs, sets out future skills needs and key skills requirements. SSAs are supported by an action plan which identifies the proposed ways in which the needs will be met. Government are working with the SSC and many other delivery partners to take these actions forward.
	Summary documents on the Aerospace, Automotive and Electronics SSA and the Marine SSA have been placed in the Library. Full reports of these can be viewed on the SEMTA website at:
	www.semta.org.uk.

Export Credit Guarantees: Iran

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 14 November 2007,  Official Report, column 251W, on export credit guarantees: Iran, what UK policy is on whether UN Security Council Resolution 1747 applies to the provision of export credit guarantees.

Malcolm Wicks: UK policy is that UN Security Council Resolution 1747 does not apply to the provision of export credits. The UK has pressed, both at the UN and the EU, for constraints on the provision of new export credit support for Iran, since multilateral imposition would have the maximum impact. We were unable to secure an explicit reference to export credits in UN Security Council Resolution 1747 and, like other countries, have concluded that export credits are not therefore covered by the Resolution.
	We continue to press for multilateral constraints on new export credits to be among the sanctions options that may be included in a further UN Security Council Resolution and EU Common Position. Consistent with this stance, ECGD is reviewing its position on Iran and has stopped processing applications for new cover.

Children: Databases

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what reviews have been undertaken by external consultants of the security measures proposed for the ContactPoint database; and what recommendations were made in those reviews.

Kevin Brennan: ContactPoint has been subject to scrutiny at key stages throughout its development. My Department's own Chief Security Officer—external to and independent from the project, has checked the Security Policy, the security architecture, and our risk assessment, and found them to be appropriate.
	The news on 20 November of the loss of large volumes of child benefit data from HMRC has raised questions about the safety of large scale personal data in other Government systems, including ContactPoint. ContactPoint will not contain any financial information (such as bank details) or case information (such as case notes, assessments, medical records, exam results or subjective observations).
	On 20 November, the department conducted an assessment of how personal data is stored and protected in the Department. As a result of that assessment, I am confident that we have very robust procedures in place.
	On 21 November, the Prime Minister confirmed this approach when he asked all departments to check their procedures for the storage and use of data. In light of the security breach at the HMRC, we are continuing to check our procedures to ensure standards are as high as they can be. To this end, on 20 November, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families decided to commission an independent assessment of its security procedures. This will be undertaken by Deloitte.

Postal Services

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many items of post sent by his Department and its predecessor were reported missing by the intended recipient in each year since 1997.

Kevin Brennan: The Department for Children, Schools and Families (and its predecessor), does not maintain historical records of items of post reported missing by the intended recipient. Any such mail reported missing to the Departments mail rooms are dealt with on a case by case basis until an outcome can be determined and a resolution reached.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what average Government spending was per child in  (a) Uxbridge constituency,  (b) each London borough and  (c) England in (i) primary schools and (ii) secondary schools in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The Department allocates education funding to local authorities so the requested information for Uxbridge constituency is not available. The figures for Hillingdon local authority are included in the breakdown by London boroughs.
	The revenue funding figures per pupil for primary schools (pupils aged three to 10), secondary schools (pupils aged 11 to 15) and all pupils (aged three to 19) for England and for each local authority in Greater London for years 1997-98 to 2005-06 are as follows:
	
		
			  Primary (pupils aged three to 10) 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 England 2,560 2,660 2,830 3,070 3,260 3,340 3,550 3,660 3,870 
			   
			 Barking and Dagenham 2,690 2,940 3,100 3,320 3,520 3,700 4,030 4,170 4,350 
			 Barnet 2,770 2,850 3,020 3,190 3,460 3,540 3,840 3,970 4,260 
			 Bexley 2,610 2,720 2,840 3,010 3,180 3,280 3,510 3,610 3,770 
			 Brent 3,170 3,280 3,490 3,680 3,940 4,130 4,400 4,570 4,860 
			 Bromley 2,630 2,750 2,910 3,110 3,280 3,340 3,480 3,600 3,790 
			 Camden 3,820 3,780 4,080 4,410 4,720 4,890 5,300 5,540 5,750 
			 Croydon 2,890 2,930 3,120 3,310 3,510 3,620 3,770 3,920 4,100 
			 Ealing 2,840 3,040 3,250 3,500 3,750 3,860 4,220 4,390 4,700 
			 Enfield 2,860 2,970 3,190 3,390 3,610 3,780 3,990 4,140 4,310 
			 Greenwich 3,360 3,440 3,730 4,080 4,310 4,460 4,760 4,920 5,240 
			 Hackney 3,970 3,990 4,340 4,650 4,890 5,110 5,450 5,610 5,980 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 3,730 3,750 4,020 4,370 4,650 4,930 5,190 5,390 5,570 
			 Haringey 3,290 3,390 3,670 3,960 4,260 4,410 4,620 4,820 4,980 
			 Harrow 2,750 2,820 2,990 3,220 3,400 3,490 3,830 3,990 4,250 
			 Havering 2,600 2,710 2,830 3,020 3,220 3,290 3,460 3,560 3,750 
			 Hillingdon 2,770 2,860 3,040 3,230 3,350 3,430 3,740 3,890 4,140 
			 Hounslow 2,850 2,960 3,180 3,410 3,610 3,800 4,160 4,290 4,570 
			 Islington 3,620 3,760 4,040 4,460 4,780 4,940 5,240 5,440 5,760 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 3,640 3,710 4,110 4,490 4,860 5,190 5,400 5,600 5,750 
			 Kingston upon Thames 2,560 2,650 2,820 3,060 3,290 3,330 3,510 3,630 3,890 
			 Lambeth 3,990 4,020 4,300 4,610 4,820 5,040 5,310 5,520 5,760 
			 Lewisham 3,650 3,710 3,950 4,220 4,480 4,670 4,940 5,050 5,380 
			 Merton 2,780 2,820 3,010 3,270 3,530 3,520 3,830 3,980 4,240 
			 Newham 3,380 3,490 3,670 3,890 4,170 4,330 4,600 4,760 5,010 
			 Redbridge 2,860 2,910 3,060 3,220 3,390 3,460 3,700 3,840 4,050 
			 Richmond upon Thames 2,710 2,690 2,840 3,070 3,260 3,300 3,470 3,610 3,830 
			 Southwark 3,680 3,770 4,050 4,340 4,600 4,780 5,000 5,130 5,530 
			 Sutton 2,800 2,820 2,970 3,160 3,340 3,400 3,570 3,700 3,860 
			 Tower Hamlets 3,800 3,960 4,370 4,650 4,970 5,190 5,620 5,780 6,190 
			 Waltham Forest 3,180 3,230 3,420 3,660 3,920 4,070 4,230 4,410 4,570 
			 Wandsworth 3,380 3,430 3,670 3,940 4,180 4,260 4,640 4,750 5,080 
			 Westminster 3,650 3,640 3,980 4,260 4,530 4,760 5,120 5,260 5,490 
		
	
	
		
			  Secondary (aged 11 to 15) 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999- 20 00  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 England 3,490 3,580 3,710 4,020 4,230 4,330 4,410 4,600 4,770 
			   
			 Barking and Dagenham 4,070 4,180 4,290 4,690 5,030 5,100 5,070 5,270 5,370 
			 Barnet 3,720 3,790 3,930 4,140 4,490 4,640 4,700 4,930 5,230 
			 Bexley 3,610 3,700 3,780 4,010 4,250 4,360 4,380 4,570 4,710 
			 Brent 4,480 4,520 4,700 5,000 5,420 5,550 5,670 5,940 6,170 
			 Bromley 3,540 3,610 3,720 3,950 4,200 4,310 4,440 4,670 4,820 
			 Camden 4,710 4,850 5,200 5,700 6,040 6,190 6,550 6,850 6,920 
			 Croydon 3,910 4,020 4,180 4,430 4,730 4,880 4,950 5,150 5,320 
			 Ealing 4,180 4,280 4,420 4,800 5,210 5,230 5,370 5,670 5,950 
			 Enfield 3,930 3,980 4,090 4,330 4,740 4,880 4,940 5,150 5,280 
			 Greenwich 4,620 4,730 5,030 5,600 5,900 5,990 6,110 6,300 6,610 
			 Hackney 5,440 5,590 5,970 6,440 6,800 6,980 7,370 7,720 7,980 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 4,800 4,990 5,280 5,730 6,070 6,360 6,590 6,890 6,970 
			 Haringey 4,680 4,730 5,020 5,410 5,800 5,890 6,220 6,490 6,530 
			 Harrow 3,750 3,840 3,960 4,180 4,510 4,690 4,840 5,050 5,210 
			 Havering 3,570 3,660 3,740 3,970 4,240 4,350 4,410 4,620 4,780 
			 Hillingdon 3,710 3,790 3,950 4,190 4,440 4,580 4,630 4,880 5,150 
			 Hounslow 3,960 4,050 4,190 4,450 4,820 4,960 5,120 5,330 5,560 
			 Islington 5,050 5,170 5,500 6,090 6,580 6,760 6,860 7,110 7,420 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 4,570 4,820 5,170 5,640 6,010 6,450 7,000 7,280 7,310 
			 Kingston upon Thames 3,530 3,610 3,720 3,950 4,240 4,380 4,450 4,650 4,890 
			 Lambeth 5,520 5,720 6,120 6,660 6,970 7,170 7,120 7,560 7,760 
			 Lewisham 4,870 4,990 5,270 5,710 6,080 6,290 6,540 6,780 7,120 
			 Merton 3,800 3,890 4,020 4,270 4,640 4,710 4,840 5,080 5,350 
			 Newham 4,550 4,690 4,880 5,300 5,680 5,760 5,700 5,910 6,100 
			 Redbridge 3,820 3,900 3,990 4,260 4,560 4,670 4,530 4,730 4,890 
			 Richmond upon Thames 3,420 3,510 3,620 3,870 4,140 4,290 4,460 4,690 4,870 
			 Southwark 5,060 5,140 5,440 5,920 6,280 6,470 6,670 7,270 7,470 
			 Sutton 3,580 3,650 3,740 3,940 4,190 4,300 4,440 4,650 4,770 
			 Tower Hamlets 5,350 5,420 5,850 6,360 6,770 6,920 6,970 7,250 7,520 
			 Waltham Forest 4,260 4,310 4,540 4,900 5,290 5,410 5,500 5,690 5,790 
			 Wandsworth 4,610 4,650 4,950 5,370 5,670 5,710 6,110 6,320 6,520 
			 Westminster 4,490 4.590 4,930 5.370 5,650 5,880 6,340 6,520 6,620 
		
	
	
		
			  Total (pupils aged three to 19) 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 England 3,120 3,180 3,320 3,580 3,760 3,870 4,000 4,150 4,350 
			   
			 Barking and Dagenham 3,410 3,570 3,690 3,960 4,190 4,360 4,530 4,720 4,880 
			 Barnet 3,410 3,450 3,580 3,760 4,040 4,190 4,360 4,510 4,800 
			 Bexley 3,190 3,260 3,350 3,540 3,730 3,860 3,990 4,120 4,310 
			 Brent 3,950 4,000 4,160 4,360 4,640 4,840 5,050 5,240 5,500 
			 Bromley 3,210 3,270 3,390 3,590 3,780 3,900 4,030 4,200 4,380 
			 Camden 4,660 4,640 4,890 5,260 5,510 5,720 5,920 6,180 6,340 
			 Croydon 3,460 3,510 3,660 3,870 4,080 4,210 4,290 4,480 4,660 
			 Ealing 3,580 3,710 3,860 4,150 4,420 4,530 4,770 4,980 5,270 
			 Enfield 3,520 3,570 3,720 3,930 4,190 4,380 4,490 4,670 4,830 
			 Greenwich 4,120 4,170 4,430 4,850 5,080 5,300 5,440 5,610 5,920 
			 Hackney 4,820 4,830 5,140 5,500 5,720 5,930 6,180 6,390 6,730 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 4,580 4,620 4,840 5,210 5,450 5,760 5,880 6,120 6,260 
			 Haringey 4,060 4,100 4,350 4,660 4,950 5,080 5,280 5,510 5,640 
			 Harrow 3,330 3,380 3,510 3,740 3,950 4,070 4,280 4,470 4,690 
			 Havering 3,170 3,240 3,330 3,530 3,740 3,840 3,950 4,100 4,280 
			 Hillingdon 3,370 3,420 3,560 3,770 3,900 4,040 4,220 4,430 4,690 
			 Hounslow 3,560 3,630 3,790 4,030 4,260 4,470 4,700 4,860 5,120 
			 Islington 4,460 4,550 4,790 5,280 5,610 5,760 5,920 6,160 6,490 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 4,550 4,620 4,940 5,320 5,590 5,940 6,070 6,320 6,450 
			 Kingston upon Thames 3,180 3,230 3,360 3,580 3,810 3,930 4,070 4,260 4,500 
			 Lambeth 4,890 4,930 5,160 5,510 5,710 5,920 5,980 6,230 6,490 
			 Lewisham 4,400 4,440 4,640 4,960 5,220 5,410 5,610 5,780 6,090 
			 Merton 3,380 3,420 3,570 3,820 4,100 4,120 4,320 4,500 4,770 
			 Newham 4,050 4,150 4,310 4,580 4,880 5,010 5,120 5,300 5,530 
			 Redbridge 3,500 3,520 3,610 3,800 3,990 4,130 4,180 4,360 4,540 
			 Richmond upon Thames 3,190 3,190 3,310 3,540 3,730 3,790 3,890 4,060 4,260 
			 Southwark 4,440 4,490 4,730 5,060 5,320 5,500 5,650 5,900 6,260 
			 Sutton 3,360 3,360 3,470 3,650 3,840 3,990 4,120 4,300 4,460 
			 Tower Hamlets 4,670 4,780 5,180 5,550 5,870 6,070 6,280 6,470 6,820 
			 Waltham Forest 3,830 3,850 4,020 4,290 4,570 4,720 4,820 5,030 5,180 
			 Wandsworth 4,200 4,200 4,390 4,690 4,900 4,980 5,300 5,470 5,780 
			 Westminster 4,500 4,490 4,770 5,100 5,290 5,520 5,770 5,950 6,100 
			  Notes: 1. Price Base: Real terms at 2006-07 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 26.09.07. 2. Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of standard spending assessment/education formula spending (EFS) settlements and exclude the pensions transfer to EFS and LSC. 3. Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES departmental expenditure limits relevant to pupils aged three to 19 and exclude education maintenance allowances (EMAs) and grants not allocated at LEA level. For those authorities in receipt of advance of grant under the transitional support arrangements for 2004-05, advance grant funding is included in the year of payment (2004-05). There will be a consequential reduction in DfES grant for these LEAs in future years (either 2006-07 and 2007-08 or 2006-7 to 2008-9, depending on the terms on which the advance was given to the LEA). The pupil numbers used to convert £ million figures to per pupil are those underlying the SSA/EFS settlement calculations plus PLASC three-year-old maintained pupils and estimated three to four-year-olds funded through state support in maintained and other educational institutions where these are not included in the SSA pupil numbers. 4. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 5. Some of the grant allocations have not been finalised. If these do change, the effect on the funding figures is expected to be minimal. 6. 1997-98 figures for authorities subject to local government reorganisation in that year have been estimated, pro-rata to their post LGR figures. 
		
	
	The revenue per pupil figures shown in the following table are taken from the dedicated schools grant (DSG) which was introduced in April 2006. They are not comparable with those for the years 1997-98 to 2005-06 because the introduction of the DSG in 2006-07 fundamentally changed how local authorities are funded.
	The 1997-98 to 2005-06 figures are based on education formula spending (EFS) which formed the education part of the local government finance settlement, plus various grants. The DSG is based on planned spend. In addition, the DSG has a different coverage to EFS, which comprises a schools block and an LEA block (to cover LEA central functions) whereas DSG only covers the school block. LEA block items are still funded through DCLG's local government finance settlement but education items cannot be separately identified. Consequently, there is a break in the Department's time series as the two sets of data are not comparable.
	The per pupil revenue funding figures for years 2006-07 to 2007-08 for England and for each local authority in Greater London are provided in the following table. The DSG is distributed through a single guaranteed unit of funding per pupil so a split between primary and secondary funding is not available.
	
		
			   DSG plus grants 2006-07  DSG plus grants 2007-08 
			 England 4,240 4,410 
			
			 Barking and Dagenham 4,700 4,980 
			 Barnet 4,730 4,880 
			 Bexley 4,280 4,430 
			 Brent 5,070 5,320 
			 Bromley 4,130 4,290 
			 Camden 6,350 6,560 
			 Croydon 4,410 4,610 
			 Ealing 5,070 5,260 
			 Enfield 4,660 4,820 
			 Greenwich 5,620 5,830 
			 Hackney 6,560 6,720 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 6,010 6,220 
			 Haringey 5,350 5,560 
			 Harrow 4,550 4,720 
			 Havering 4,220 4,370 
			 Hillingdon 4,550 4,690 
			 Hounslow 4,920 5,080 
			 Islington 6,100 6,370 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 6,150 6,280 
			 Kingston upon Thames 4,430 4,550 
			 Lambeth 6,070 6,290 
			 Lewisham 5,820 5,990 
			 Merton 4,570 4,720 
			 Newham 5,350 5,580 
			 Redbridge 4,340 4,530 
			 Richmond upon Thames 4,320 4,450 
			 Southwark 6,110 6,310 
			 Sutton 4,350 4,510 
			 Tower Hamlets 6,650 6,920 
			 Waltham Forest 4,910 5,070 
			 Wandsworth 5,360 5,590 
			 Westminster 5,730 6,000 
			  Notes: 1. The revenue funding per pupil figures only run to 2005-06 because we cannot provide a consistent time series beyond that year as the introduction of the dedicated schools grant (DSG) in 2006-07 fundamentally changed how local authorities are funded. The 1998-99 to 2005-06 figures are based on education formula spending (EFS) which formed the education part of the local government finance settlement, plus various grants. This was an assessment of what local authorities needed to fund education rather than what they spent. In 2006-07 funding for schools changed with the introduction of the DSG which is based largely on an authority's previous spending. 2. In addition, DSG has a different coverage to EFS: EFS comprised a schools block and an LEA block (to cover LEA central functions) whereas DSG only covers the school block. LEA block items are still funded through DCLG's local government finance settlement but education items cannot be separately identified. This means we have a break in our time series as the two sets of data are not comparable. 3. Price Base: Real terms at 2006-07 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 26 September 2007. 4. This covers funding through the dedicated schools grant, school standards grant, school standards grant (personalisation) and standards fund; it excludes grants not allocated at LEA level. 5. Some of the grant allocations have not been finalised. If these do change, the effect on the funding figures is expected to be minimal. 6. Figures are in real terms.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average Government spending per child in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in West Chelmsford Parliamentary constituency was in (i) the latest year for which figures are available and (ii) 2001.

Jim Knight: The Department allocates education funding to local authorities so the requested information for West Chelmsford constituency is not available. The revenue funding figures per pupil for 2001-02 and 2005-06 for Essex local authority are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   2001-02  (£)  2005-06  (£) 
			 Primary (pupils aged 3-10) 3,210 3,720 
			 Secondary (pupils aged 11-15) 4,130 4,610 
			 Total (pupils aged 3-19) 3,690 4,190 
			  Notes: 1. Price Base: Real terms at 2006-07 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 26 September 2007. 2. Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of Standard Spending Assessment/Education Formula Spending (EPS) settlements and exclude the pensions transfer to EFS and LSC. 3. Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES Departmental Expenditure Limits relevant to pupils aged 3-19 and exclude Education Maintenance Allowances (EMAs) and grants not allocated at LEA level. For those authorities in receipt of advance of grant under the transitional support arrangements for 2004-05, advance grant funding is included in the year of payment (2004-05). There will be a consequential reduction in DfES grant for these LEAs in future years (either 2006-07 and 2007-08 or 2006-07 to 2008-09, depending on the terms on which the advance was given to the LEA). The pupil numbers used to convert £ million figures to £ per pupil are those underlying the SSA/EFS settlement calculations plus PLASC 3-year-old maintained pupils and estimated 3 to 4-year-olds funded through state support in maintained and other educational institutions where these are not included in the SSA pupil numbers. 4. Rounding: Figures are rounded to the nearest £10. 5. Some of the grant allocations have not been finalised. If these do change, the effect on the funding figures is expected to be minimal. 6. The figures are in real terms 
		
	
	The latest year for which comparable figures are available is 2005-06 and these have been given in the table. The latest revenue per pupil figures available are for 2007-08 and are taken from the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) which was introduced in April 2006. They are not comparable with those for 2001-02 and 2005-06 because the introduction of the DSG in 2006-07 fundamentally changed how local authorities are funded.
	The 2001-02 and 2005-06 figures are based on Education Formula Spending (EPS) which formed the education part of the Local Government Finance Settlement, plus various grants. The DSG is based on planned spend. In addition, the DSG has a different coverage to EFS, which comprises a schools block and an LEA block (to cover LEA central functions) whereas DSG only covers the school block. LEA block items are still funded through DCLG's Local Government Finance Settlement but education items cannot be separately identified. Consequently, there is a break in the Department's time series as the two sets of data are not comparable.
	The per pupil revenue funding figure based on DSG plus grants for 2007-08 for Essex was £4,180.
	The DSG is distributed through a single guaranteed unit of funding per pupil so a split between primary and secondary funding is not available. This figure is for all funded pupils aged 3-15 and is in real terms.
	 Notes:
	1. The revenue funding per pupil figures only run to 2005-06 because we cannot provide a consistent time series beyond that year as the introduction of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) in 2006-07 fundamentally changed how local authorities are funded. The 1998-99 to 2005-06 figures are based on Education Formula Spending (EFS) which formed the education part of the Local Government Finance Settlement, plus various grants. This was an assessment of what local authorities needed to fund education rather than what they spent. In 2006-07, funding for schools changed with the introduction of the DSG which is based largely on an authority's previous spending.
	2. In addition, DSG has a different coverage to EPS: EPS comprised a schools block and an LEA block (to cover LEA central functions) whereas DSG only covers the school block. LEA block items are still funded through DCLG's Local Government Finance Settlement but education items cannot be separately identified. This means we have a break in our time series as the two sets of data are not comparable.
	3. Price Base: Real terms at 2006-07 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 26 September 2007.
	4. This covers funding through the Dedicated Schools Grant, School Standards Grant, School Standards Grant (Personalisation) and Standards Fund; it excludes grants not allocated at LEA level.
	5. Some of the grant allocations have not been finalised. If these do change, the effect on the funding figures is expected to be minimal.

Housing: Inspections

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many qualified domestic energy assessors and home inspectors there are in  (a) Eccles constituency,  (b) Greater Manchester and  (c) the North West.

Yvette Cooper: The most recent data as at 5 November provides the following information on the number of accredited home inspectors and domestic energy assessors in Eccles constituency, Greater Manchester and the North West.
	
		
			   Home inspectors  Domestic energy assessors 
			 Eccles — 15 
			 Greater Manchester 37 218 
			 North West 93 595

Housing: Inspections

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many qualified domestic energy assessors there are in  (a) North West Leicestershire,  (b) Leicestershire and  (c) the East Midlands.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 21 November 2007
	The most recent data as of 15 November provides the following information on the number of accredited domestic energy assessors in North West Leicestershire, Leicestershire and the East Midlands.
	
		
			   Domestic energy assessors 
			 North West Leicestershire 9 
			 Leicestershire 80 
			 East Midlands 421

Housing: Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the impact of the introduction of home information packs on the residential housing market in Leeds West constituency; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement 'Home Information Packs' made on 22 November 2007,  Official Report, column 140-42WS.

Urban Areas: Carbon Emissions

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding the Government is going to make available to create eco-towns; and how such funding is going to be distributed.

Yvette Cooper: CSR07 allocated £1.7 billion of targeted funding over the CSR07 period for infrastructure in Growth Areas, the Thames Gateway, New Growth Points and eco-towns, including £300 million to continue the Community Infrastructure Fund. Decisions on the split and distribution of growth funding will be announced in due course.

Football: Schools

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools with (i) a boys' football team and (ii) a girls' football team that meets Football Association standards.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Football Association (FA) advise that there are nearly 5,500 FA charter standard schools. Schools are required to provide football for boys and girls both in the curriculum and out of school hours as part of the qualifying criteria to be an FA charter standard school. Exact numbers of teams in primary and secondary education by gender are not available.
	The 2006-07 school sport survey found that 98 per cent. of primary and secondary schools offered football during the last academic year and that 78 per cent. of primary and secondary schools have a link with a local football club.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Afghanistan

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 29 October 2007,  Official Report, column 953W, on armoured fighting vehicles: Afghanistan, what other new protected vehicles are required to make up the total number of Mastiff vehicles to 400.

Des Browne: As I explained in my answer of 29 October 2007,  Official Report, column 953W, we plan to procure some 280 Mastiff vehicles. In addition, we are planning to procure over 170 Vector vehicles, bringing the overall total of new protected patrol vehicles to over 400.

Baha Mousa

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a public apology for the death of Baha Mousa in British custody in Iraq; and what related remedial steps he has taken since the completion of court proceedings on the case.

Des Browne: The death of Mr. Baha Mousa is a matter of deep regret to the Ministry of Defence. I will make a statement in the new year, after taking account of representations from the lawyers representing Mr. Mousa's family about the nature of any further inquiries that would be necessary to ensure relevant lessons are learned. It would therefore be inappropriate for me to make any further comment at this stage.
	In February 2005, the then Chief of the General Staff announced that he had appointed a senior Army officer, Brigadier Aitken, to assess what lessons the Army needed to learn in light of deliberate abuse against Iraqi civilians. My predecessor, the right hon. Mr. Hoon, gave an undertaking that the findings of the resulting report would be made public. I expect to announce the publication of those findings in due course.

Departmental Buildings

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated budget is for his Department's headquarters refurbishment project for each of the next 10 years.

Derek Twigg: The estimated budget for the provision of fully serviced office accommodation in the Ministry of Defence's main building and old war office building is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2008-09 94.9 
			 2009-10 93.3 
			 2010-11 93.3 
			 2011-12 95.4 
			 2012-13 96.8 
			 2013-14 98.0 
			 2014-15 98.7 
			 2015-16 98.3 
			 2016-17 100.3 
			 2017-18 107.7 
		
	
	These figures (VAT inclusive) cover the costs for the major redevelopment of the main building, as well as for the ongoing provision of services. The planned closure of the old war office funding will be fully reflected in future budgets.

EU Defence Policy

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK services personnel wear EU insignia; and where those personnel are based.

Des Browne: Any UK military personnel seconded to the EU Military Staffer deployed on EU military missions may be required to wear EU insignia during the course of their duties.
	18 UK military personnel are currently seconded to the EU Military Staff in Brussels. A further 19 military personnel are currently deployed on EU military missions: 13 in Bosnia Herzegovina; two in Sudan; and four in Paris as part of the proposed ESDP mission to Chad/Central African Republic, two of whom would deploy to Chad/Central African Republic as part of the Force Headquarters.

European Fighter Aircraft

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what he estimates the lifetime cost of Typhoon will be if the Government  (a) complete the order for Tranche 3 and  (b) cancels Tranche 3.

Bob Ainsworth: The UK has undertaken, through international MOU arrangements, to procure 232 Typhoon aircraft in three tranches. So far, the UK has contracted for the delivery of two tranches, comprising 144 aircraft. Decisions on tranche three will be taken in due course, in conjunction with our partner nations, once we have analysed and considered the relevant information. The estimated cost of the Eurofighter Typhoon programme is commercially sensitive information which is protected in order to maintain our negotiating position for future acquisitions on the Typhoon programme. It is therefore inappropriate to speculate on the lifetime cost for either of the options outlined.

Climate Change

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department  (a) has taken and  (b) intends to take by (i) 2012 and (ii) 2020 in relation to adaptation to the effects of climate change as they affect his Departmental responsibilities; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: The Climate Change Bill, which it is hoped will receive Royal Assent by mid 2008, will provide a strong sustainable framework for adapting to the impacts of climate change. It will require Government to report at least every five years on current and predicted impacts of climate change, and on its proposals and policy for adapting to these.
	DEFRA is also leading on the development of a cross-Government Adaptation Policy Framework to be published in the spring. The Framework aims to provide a consistent approach to building adaptation into policies, and a coherent way to identify cross-cutting risks and opportunities and to assist in prioritisation of action across Government.
	In October 2008, the UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP), will launch the DEFRA-funded UK 21(st) Century Climate Change Scenarios (UKCIP08) programme. This will provide accurate modelling and practical tools to help organisations (like local authorities and businesses) assess and address climate change impacts for the UK up to 2100 at a regional and local level. We will continue to develop the tools and actions to address climate change in the coming decades.
	DEFRA is also considering the impacts of climate change for priority sectors. With the prediction of wetter winters and drier summers, water is on the front line of climate change adaptation. We will be launching a new Water Strategy, early in 2008, which will put adaptation at the heart of policy-making and ensure that water management is fit for the future. The increased flood risk from climate change is also one focus of the separate cross-government long-term flood management strategy, 'Making Space for Water'. The strategy is encouraging a holistic approach to the management of flood risk, together with increasing awareness and emergency preparedness within communities to help them better cope with flood events when they occur.
	In addition, my Department continues to take a strong lead internationally on climate change. For example, we are working to provide a detailed assessment of potential impacts of climate change in India, and to identify and develop adaptation strategies. The project will look to improve climate change scenarios for India up to 2050 and will assess the impact of climate change nationally on water resources, agriculture and forestry.

Belarus: Entry Clearances

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will consider granting a waiver on the collection of biometric data for organised groups of children from Belarus affected by the Chernobyl disaster seeking to visit the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The requirement for visa nationals to provide biometric data as part of the visa application process was introduced under the provisions of The Immigration (Provision of Physical Data) regulations 2006 that came into force on 4 July 2006. There are very few exemptions or exceptions to this and, of necessity, these are very tightly drawn. We do not, as a matter of policy or law, collect biometric data from children under the age of five years or from certain individuals, Heads of State, for example, but require all other applicants to comply with the requirements of the 2006 Regulation.
	I am aware of the important work undertaken by UK charities to provide respite care for children affected by the Chernobyl disaster. We had hoped to collect fingerprints from these children in a separate visa application centre close to their homes thereby avoiding them having to travel to our embassy in Minsk. Unfortunately, despite lengthy negotiations we were unable to secure agreement from the Belarussian authorities. I am however pleased to confirm that we will be introducing a pilot initiative next year to enable our embassy in Minsk to collect the children's biometric data through mobile fingerprinting machines. The embassy will be working with the charities to confirm arrangements for this pilot.

Departmental Consultants

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was paid in consultancy fees by his Department in each year since 1997.

Meg Munn: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply my hon. Friend the Minister for Europe, Jim Murphy, gave to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 9 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 542-43W and the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Broxbourne (Mr. Walker) on 13 November 2007,  Official Report, columns 108-09W.

Eritrea: Emigration

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the effects of emigration from Eritrea on that country; and what discussions he has had with the Eritrean government on the matter.

Meg Munn: We recognise the general negative economic effects emigration has on the Eritrean economy. Emigration seems highest among Eritrean youth.
	Our embassy in Asmara continues to monitor the situation and has discussed emigration in the context of asylum and returns with the Eritrean Government, but has not discussed the effects of emigration on Eritrea.

Eritrea: Press Freedom

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Eritrean government on media freedom in Eritrea.

Meg Munn: We monitor the human rights situation, including media freedom, in Eritrea closely.
	There is no free press in Eritrea with no independent local journalists and only two international ones. The detention without charge by the Eritrean Government of journalists is unacceptable and contravenes international human rights agreements to which Eritrea is party. Our ambassador in Asmara raises these issues with the Eritrean Government at every suitable opportunity. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials do likewise with the Eritrean embassy here in the UK.
	We also raise our concerns on human rights through the EU. For example the EU lobbied Eritrea on the sixth anniversary of the detention in September 2001 of the G11, 11 members of the Eritrean political party who protested at the Government's direction in a letter to President Isaias, together with a number of journalists who were also detained at that time.
	We will continue to monitor media freedom in Eritrea including the human rights situation more generally, raising our concerns with the Eritrean Government whenever possible.

Iran: Capital Punishment

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations his Department has made to the Iranian government on child executions in Iran.

Kim Howells: We remain deeply concerned by the growing use of capital punishment in Iran, particularly with regard to juvenile executions. Although Iran has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights—both of which prohibit the use of the death penalty for crimes committed before the age of 18—Iran continues to execute more juvenile offenders than any other country in the world. We deplore the fact that there have been at least three juvenile executions so far this year.
	UK, and EU, policy on the death penalty is clear: we oppose it in all circumstances and are committed to taking action on individual cases that fall below international minimum standards, including juvenile cases. The EU presidency, with strong UK support, has raised concerns about juvenile execution cases with the Iranian authorities on at least thirteen occasions this year. We also make representations in bilateral meetings with the Iranians. Most recently, senior officials raised two juvenile execution cases (Soghra Nafj-Pour and Makwan Moloudzadeh) with the Iranian ambassador on 26 October—we have since heard that their cases are being reviewed—and, in a meeting with the Iranian embassy on 23 November, protested the recent execution of Mohammad Reza Tork.

Iraq: Oil

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2007,  Official Report, columns 1039-40W, on Iraq: oil, whether he takes into account maximising the revenues for central government in Iraq when urging Iraqi ministers and officials to consider the benefit of a broad range of contract types.

Kim Howells: We have not taken account of maximising revenues when providing advice to the Government of Iraq. That is a sovereign matter for the Iraqis. UK advice has focused on the need to consider a range of oil contract options, consistent with international best practice, to meet the varied conditions and circumstances in Iraq.

Israel: Frontiers

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions the Government have had with the Israeli government on the movement of Palestinians across borders.

Kim Howells: The implementation of the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access stalled following the election of Hamas in January 2006. We continue to call on both the Israelis and the Palestinians to implement the agreement. We have repeatedly raised our concerns about movement and access with the government of Israel. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised our concerns about movement and access on his recent visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories from 17 to 19 November.

Israel: Frontiers

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions have taken place between the British and Israeli governments on dismantling check points.

Kim Howells: We remain concerned about the movement restrictions in the west bank. Israel has a right to protect its citizens from terrorist attack, but also a duty to ensure the effect of its security measures on the Palestinian population are minimised. We will continue to raise this concern at all levels with the Israeli government. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed movement and access issues during his recent visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories from 17 to 19 November.

Israel: Frontiers

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions have taken place between the British and Israeli governments on the Israeli security wall.

Kim Howells: We regularly raise our concerns about the routing of the barrier with the Israeli government and will continue to do so. We fully recognise Israel's right to self-defence but the barrier's route should be on or behind the green line, and not on occupied territory. Construction of the barrier on Palestinian land is illegal and is particularly damaging around east Jerusalem where it threatens to divide the west bank in two.
	Our embassy in Tel Aviv continues to raise these concerns.

Health Services: Publicity

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what he expects the cost of his Department's End Waiting, Change Lives campaign to have been by the end of 2008.

Ben Bradshaw: The total anticipated spend to the end of this financial year (end March 2008) is £1,221,861.10.
	The campaign budget for April to December 2008 will be determined as part of the development of the Department's 2008-09 business plan , which is now under way.

Healthcare Commission: Finance

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual budget of the  (a) Healthcare Commission and  (b) Commission for Social Care Inspection have been over the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 5 December 2007
	The annual budget of the Healthcare Commission (HC) and Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) over the last five years are set out as follows:
	
		
			  £000 
			   Department of Health (DH) revenue  DH capital charges  Income  Total budget  DH capital 
			  Healthcare Commission  
			 2003-04(1) 35,000 — — 35,000 — 
			 2004-05 71,694 1,670 3,250 76,614 5,072 
			 2005-06 65,388 2,500 8,134 76,022 3,000 
			 2006-07 71,367 2,800 8,200 82,367 4,000 
			 2007-08 64,379 2,800 7,200 74,379 5,000 
			 (1)( )Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) existed with a budget of £35 million revenue. HC took over some of CHI's functions and was being set up in 2003-04. 
		
	
	
		
			  £000 
			   DH Revenue  DH Capital Charges  Other Income  Total Budget  DH Capital 
			  Commission Social Care Inspectorate  
			 2003-04(1) 94,320 10,752 46,290 151,362 3,000 
			 2004-05 98,005 10,000 44,402 152,407 2,000 
			 2005-06 86,430 14,490 56,755 157,675 6,000 
			 2006-07 80,984 15,840 64,500 161,324 19,978 
			 2007-08 65,371 12,261 58,600 136,232 18,707 
			 (1) CSCI was being set up in 2003-04. Its predecessor organisation was National Care Standards Commission  Notes: 1. Figures for revenue and capital are grant-in-aid issued by the Department of Health and are the start of year figures. Figures for income are derived from the organisations' annual accounts. 2. "Other income" represents income largely from regulatory fees. 3. Figures for CSCI up to 2006-07 include the cost of children's social services functions transferred to Ofsted on 1 April 2007.  Source:  DH

NHS: Loans

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 26 November 2007,  Official Report, column 255W, on NHS: loans, how much of the £777.881 million of loans issued to national health service trusts on 22 March was used to finance private finance initiative projects, broken down by individual trusts to which a loan payment was made.

Ben Bradshaw: In 2006-07 the informal and opaque system of cash brokerage and planned support that had previously operated across the national health service, was replaced for NHS trusts by a formal system of loans. The £777.881 million of loans issued to NHS trusts on 22 March 2007 were provided to finance the consequences of historic overspending that had previously been financed informally through the cash brokerage system.

Primary Care Trusts: Hampshire

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what redundancy payments were made during the last reorganisation of primary care trusts in Hampshire; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The information is not held in the format requested as individual redundancy payments are not available centrally.
	The following table shows the total expenditure by primary care trusts (PCTs) in Hampshire for 2006-07, which is the latest and only year for which this information is available.
	There are two measures of expenditure. The first measure is for 'redundancy'. These costs will, in previous years, have been included within an 'other/miscellaneous' category. They are for redundancy, but it is not known whether all costs included will relate to redundancy following mergers or re-organisation.
	The second (stand alone) measure is 'PCT reorganisation; redundancies and early retirement', it is expected that these are costs relating to organisations involved in mid year mergers/reorganisation.
	
		
			  Expenditure by PCTs in Hampshire 2006-07 
			  £000 
			  Primary care trusts  Redundancies  PCT reorganisation: redundancies and early retirements 
			 Hampshire 227 227 
			 Isle of Wight Healthcare 631 631 
			 Portsmouth City Teaching 45 0 
			 Southampton City 81 0 
			
			 Total (Hampshire) 984 858 
			  Source: Audited summarisation schedules of PCTs in Hampshire, 2006-07.

Human Trafficking

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the outcomes of Operation Pentameter  (a) 1 and  (b) 2 were in relation to trafficking.

Vernon Coaker: Pentameter 1 resulted in the rescue of 88 victims (12 of which were children) from 22 different countries (primarily Eastern Europe, China/South-East Asia, Africa or Brazil), 232 people were arrested and 134 charged with a variety of offences.
	Pentameter 2 is still ongoing. Operational results will be released following completion of the operation.

Human Trafficking: Cambridgeshire

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether funding for Operation Pentameter II for the Cambridgeshire constabulary will be available in the financial year 2008-09; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 3 December 2007
	Police forces receive over £1 billion in grant annually. Human trafficking is core police business and all forces including Cambridgeshire constabulary should now have the capacity to deal with trafficking problems in their area.
	Operation Pentameter two is a time limited operation and is due to be completed early in the 2008-09 financial year.
	Decisions on the timing of further Pentameter operations have yet to be taken.

Kid's Company

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding her Department provided to the Kid's Company in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: I have been asked to reply.
	Kids Company has been in receipt of a Treasury Invest to Save budget since April 2005. The Treasury grant is for three years and ends in March 2008. The Department for Children, Schools and Families has only acted as sponsor body and has not provided the funding. Objectives for the budget (£3,427,000 over three years) are to:
	Secure statutory funding to improve and sustain The Arches drop in centre for the long term;
	Replicate the model of service delivery used at the Arches;
	Contribute to the policy and institutional framework on a national scale that enables organisations to support the most vulnerable and challenging young people.
	Funding is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 1,480,000 
			 2006-07 1,125,000 
			 2007-08 822,500

Civil Law

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many civil lawsuits have been brought against his Department and its predecessors based either wholly or partially on grounds provided by the Human Rights Act 1998; how many were settled out of court before a court judgment was delivered; and how much such settlements have cost the public purse since the Act came into force.

Bill Rammell: The Department does not collect central records of cases brought against it in which grounds contained in the Human Rights Act 1998 have been relied and so the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Climate Change: Research

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Natural Environment Research Council's programme quantifying and understanding the earth system in informing the Government's climate change policy.

Ian Pearson: A number of NERC-funded research programmes and collaborations provide scientific evidence that informs the Government's climate change policy. The Quantifying and Understanding the Earth System (QUEST) programme is just one of these; others include the RAPID Climate Change programme, the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, and the National Centre for Atmospheric Science.
	NERC council has undertaken an independent mid-term evaluation of the QUEST programme, which will be published shortly. This evaluation concluded that the programme has made good links with stakeholders including central government, and that it is satisfactorily mobilising its preliminary science outputs to inform policy, and increasing the UK's capability to generate policy-relevant science.
	The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) takes the lead within Government for climate change policy and commissions research on climate change in support of policy. It has not made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Natural Environment Research Council's (NERC) programme quantifying and understanding the earth system in informing the Government's climate change policy, although it does draw on its work programmes.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills on what dates his Department breached its  (a) resource,  (b) near-cash,  (c) administration and  (d) capital budgets since 2001; what the total value of each breach was; and what the reason was for each breach.

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills is a new Department, therefore the Department has never breached its  (a) resource,  (b) near cash,  (c) administration,  (d) capital budgets.

Higher Education

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  what plans he has for provision of funding for students studying for an MSc in clinical oncology who have already gained a first degree;
	(2)  what plans he has for provision of funding for post-graduate students who wish to train for a Masters qualification in health care;
	(3)  what plans he has for provision of funding for post-graduate students with a Post Graduate Certificate of Education who wish to gain specialist qualifications to teach children with special educational needs and autism.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 3 December 2007
	We have asked HEFCE to redistribute institutional funding of about £100 million a year by 2010 away from students doing a second qualification at an equivalent or lower level to the one they already hold in order that we can support more of all ages more of an opportunity to participate in higher education for the first time. However, we have asked HEFCE to consult about the best way of implementing these changes, including whether any exceptions should be made for students in particular circumstances. The consultation ends on 7 December after which decisions will be taken about the detailed implementation of the policy.

Students: Qualifications

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many students in England are studying for a first degree without having at least two A-levels.

Bill Rammell: A-levels are not the only route into HE, nor should they be. Students access HE through a wide variety of progression routes, including Access courses, other vocational and non-vocational qualifications. Higher education institutions also take account of other factors, for example previous experience and personal qualities, when considering the best candidates for the course in question. Ability to successfully complete a course remains an essential criterion for selecting candidates.
	In 2005/06, there were 188,735 English domiciled entrants to full time first degree courses at UK higher education institutions, who had 'A' level or equivalent qualifications on entry. Of these, 2,400 (1.3 per cent.) had a tariff score of less than 80 (two E grades at 'A' level give a tariff score of 80). Figures for 2006/07 will be available in January 2008.

Vocational Education: Finance

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  how much was spent on Train to Gain brokers in 2006-07; and what percentage of the overall Train to Gain budget this constituted  (a) nationally and  (b) in London;
	(2)  how many Train to Gain brokers in  (a) London and  (b) nationally received funds from Government in 2006-07.

David Lammy: Train to Gain is a new service that has completed its first year of national operation. In this time more than 52,000 employers have engaged with the service resulting in more than 240,000 learners. The total budget for Train to Gain was £288 million of which £25.4 million (8.8 per cent. of the total budget) was allocated to brokerage. This figure included one-off setup costs associated with the new service. London received £4.66 million for brokerage (which equates to 18.3 per cent. of the overall brokerage budget).
	The LSC contracts with 17 organisations that provide skills brokerage services to employers as part of the wider Train to Gain Service in England. Three of these organisations operate in the London region.

ACP Countries: Economic Agreements

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is on whether  (a) the European Commission should provide an alternative to an Economic Partnership Agreement at the request of any African, Caribbean or Pacific country and  (b) any alternative offered should provide no worse market access to the EU than is enjoyed under the Cotonou preferences.

Gareth Thomas: It remains the UK position, as set out in 2005, that the European Commission should be ready to provide an alternative to an economic partnership agreement (EPA) at the request of any African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) country and that any alternative offered should provide no worse market access to the EU than is currently enjoyed under Cotonou preferences. We are not aware of any ACP country that has requested a permanent alternative to an EPA.
	here is currently a discussion with the ACP and EU member states on what market access ACP countries should receive for a temporary period, until they sign an EPA, if they have not done so before Cotonou expires on 31 December 2007. It remains the UK's position that we do not wish ACP countries to receive worse market access to the EU on 1 January 2008 than they currently receive under Cotonou preferences.

Developing Countries: Health Services

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made by the International Finance Facility on immunisation bonds; and if he will make a statement.

Shahid Malik: The International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm) has made impressive progress in its first year of implementation. In November 2006 IFFIm raised $1 billion from the International bond markets. Of the $1 billion raised, approximately $912 million will be disbursed by the end of 2007, through the GAVI Alliance (formerly the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation).
	The GAVI Alliance is currently spending IFFIm funds in 43 of the poorest countries on immunisation activities to tackle vaccine-preventable diseases such as yellow fever, polio, measles, maternal and neonatal tetanus. IFFIm funds are also being spent on strengthening the health systems of these poor countries. Some of the early results achieved by the GAVI Alliance since 2006 through IFFIm's funding have been:
	Immunising more than 100 million children under the age of five against polio.
	Helping poor countries target 26 million women with immunisation against maternal and neonatal tetanus by 2007 and early 2008.
	Yellow fever immunisation activities in 12 West African countries that will strengthen health systems and support vaccine security and affordability to prevent approximately 687,000 deaths between now and 2050.

Sudan: Overseas Aid

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much UK aid was given to the government of Sudan between November 2006 and November 2007.

Gareth Thomas: DFID provided £109.9 million of bilateral aid to Sudan in 2006-07. None of this aid was provided directly to the Sudanese Government and the majority was delivered as humanitarian assistance. Figures for 2007-08 will be available in June 2008. Data are not available on a November to November basis.

UK Search and Rescue Advisory Group

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what guidelines have been developed by the UK Search and Rescue Advisory Group; and if he will place a copy of those guidelines in the Library.

Shahid Malik: The UK International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (UKISARG) has not developed specific guidelines. However, the Group has established common principles and standards to ensure that the member organisations are able to operate in a consistent, effective, professional and accountable manner. UKISARG member organisations must comply with UKISARG specific standards as well as the "Principles of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs in Disaster Response Programmes" and current International Search and Rescue Group (INSARAG) guidelines.
	I am putting a copy of both of these documents in the Library of the House, alternatively they can be found via the following links:
	Principles of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs in Disaster Response Programmes:
	http://www.ifrc.org/publicat/conduct/code.asp.
	INSARAG Guidelines:
	http://ochaonline.un.org/Coordination/FieldCoordinationSupportSection/INSARAG/tabid/1436/Default.aspx

Governance of Britain Document

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place copies of responses to the Governance of Britain document in the Library.

Michael Wills: "The Governance of Britain" Green Paper was not a consultation document. However a number of consultations concerning specific proposals within the Green Paper have since been published.
	There are three public consultations that are currently continuing 'Managing Protest Around Parliament' (CM 7235); 'War Powers and Treaties: Limiting Executive Powers' (CM 7239); and 'Judicial Appointments' (CM 7210). They will all close on 17 January 2008.
	A consultation on 'Altering the current guidance on flying the Union Flag from UK Government buildings' closed on 9 November and a consultation on the 'Role of the Attorney General' (CM 7192) closed on 30 November.
	Responses to all of these consultations will be published in line with Cabinet Office guidelines and copies will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Hollesley Bay Prison: Prisoners Escape

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice of what crimes those prisoners who have absconded from HM Prison Hollesley Bay in the last six years had been convicted.

Maria Eagle: Statistics are not available for the year 2002-03, however the main index offence for those who absconded from Hollesley Bay in each of the last five years up to end September 2007 are as follows:
	
		
			  Crime type  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  Total 
			 Arson 0 0 0 1 0 1 
			 Breach of Licence 1 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Burglary 8 9 2 8 1 28 
			 Deception 1 0 0 0 1 2 
			 Disorderly conduct 1 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Drug offences 4 8 6 1 0 19 
			 Handling stolen goods 0 0 0 1 1 2 
			 Immigration offences 0 0 1 0 0 1 
			 Manslaughter 0 0 0 1 0 1 
			 Motoring offences 0 3 4 2 2 11 
			 Offensive weapon 0 0 0 1 0 1 
			 Robbery 9 5 1 4 5 24 
			 Theft 4 2 0 0 0 6 
			 Threatening behaviour 0 1 0 0 0 1 
			 Threats to kill 1 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Violence against the person 4 4 1 2 0 11 
			 Not recorded 3 0 1 0 0 4 
			 Total 36 32 16 21 10 115

Passports: Fraud

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many persons were convicted of false passport or false identity document offences in each of the last two years; and of those how many and what percentage have been given custodial sentences.

Maria Eagle: The information requested covering selected offences for the years 2005 and 2006 is provided in the following table.
	The data provided do not cover all prosecutions for possession or production of false identity documents as some defendants found guilty of these offences can be prosecuted under the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981 or the Theft Acts 1968 and 1978. Data on prosecutions for these offences have not been provided as data on prosecutions brought under these acts cannot separately identify whether false documents were involved in the crimes committed.
	A percentage cannot be provided due to the method of recording.
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty at all courts, sentenced and of those sentenced, the number sentenced to immediate custody for offences related to false passports and related documents, England and Wales 2005 and 2006( 1, 2, 3) 
			  Offence description  Principal statute  Year  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Sentenced  Of which: Immediate custody 
			 Identity Cards Act 2006 With intent knowingly possessing or falsely or improperly obtaining another's ID document 2006 587 437 484 462 
			
			 Identity Cards Act 2006 With intent making, possessing or having under control apparatus or article or material designed or adapted for making false ID cards 2006 8 7 9 9 
			
			 Identity Cards Act 2006 Possessing or controlling a false or improperly obtained ID card or which relates to another or apparatus etc. for making false ID cards 2006 133 81 55 46 
			
			 Immigration Act 1971 S.26A(3)(a), (b), (d), (e), (f) and (g) and (5) as added by Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 S.148 Registration Card (making, using or attempting to use a false registration card; altering or attempting to use a registration card; making article designed to be used in making false registration card or altering card) 2005 4 3 3 3 
			   2006 12 9 8 5 
			
			 Immigration Act 1971 S.26A (3) (c) and (h) and (6) as added by Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 S.148 Registration Card (having false registration card in possession; having article within para. (f) or (g) in possession without reasonable excuse) 2005 5 3 4 2 
			   2006 6 6 6 4 
			
			 Being unable to produce an immigration document at a leave or asylum interview in respect of himself Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act 2004 S.2(1 )(9) 2005 473 428 385 378 
			   2006 490 499 533 525 
			
			 Being unable to produce an immigration document at a leave or asylum interview in respect of a dependent child Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act 2004 S.2(2)(9) 2005 14 22 32 31 
			   2006 14 14 21 20 
			
			 Non citizen entering UK without leave Immigration Act 1971 section 24 (1) (a) 2005 43 33 24 22 
			   2006 75 63 38 31 
			
			 Having possession or any passport, certificate of entitlement, entry clearance, work permit or other document made under or for the purpose of the Immigration Act 1971 which is known or is reasonably believed to be false Immigration Act 1971 section 26 (1) (d) 2005 9 5 7 5 
			   2006 12 17 16 14 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) The found guilty column can exceed the number proceeded against and the number sentenced can exceed both those proceeded against and found guilty when a proceeding took place in a different year to conviction or sentencing, or when a defendant is found guilty for a different offence to the one for which proceedings were originally brought.

Prisoners Release

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners have been released on end of custody licence who did not fit the criteria for release.

David Hanson: Between 29 June 2007 and 31 October 2007 11,100 prisoners have been released under End of Custody Licence (ECL). Of this total NOMS has identified six prisoners released who did not meet the eligibility criteria and were therefore released in error. A further two cases have been identified where the prisoners met the eligibility criteria but were released on ECL earlier than they should have been.
	Five of the eight errors were reported in the ECL monthly reports published on the Ministry of Justice website. Three errors were confirmed after the ECL report was published on 30 November 2007. They will be included in the report to be published at the end of December.
	We are committed to ensuring that as few errors occur as possible and we will keep processes under review to minimise these.

Prisons: Finance

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice from what budget the funding for  (a) the 8,000 new prison places announced by the previous Secretary of State for the Home Department and  (b) the 1,500 new prison places announced by the previous Lord Chancellor will be drawn.

David Hanson: The new prison places will be funded from the capital and resource budgets (as appropriate) of the National Offender Management Service, within the Ministry of Justice overall allocations. The 8,000 places are due to be delivered by 2012 and as such some of the funding falls after the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 (CSR07) period. 500 of the 1,500 places fall within the CSR07 period. The optimum timing and composition of the further 1,000 places will be considered in the light of the Carter report. .

Prisoners: Foreigners

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what percentage of prisoners in Northern Ireland are foreign nationals, broken down by nationality.

Paul Goggins: As of 3 December 2007, the total prisoner population in Northern Ireland Prisons was 1,467. Of these 71 were foreign national prisoners which equates to 4.8 per cent.
	The following table provides a breakdown of all foreign national prisoners by nationality.
	
		
			  Nationality  Number 
			 Lithuanian 11 
			 Polish 9 
			 Chinese 5 
			 Nigerian 5 
			 Portuguese 6 
			 Romanian 4 
			 Brazilian 3 
			 Canadian 1 
			 German 2 
			 Latvian 3 
			 Liberian 2 
			 South African 2 
			 Zimbabwean 2 
			 Algerian 1 
			 American 1 
			 Argentinean 1 
			 Australian 1 
			 Belgian 1 
			 Danish 2 
			 Dutch 1 
			 French 1 
			 Ghanaian 1 
			 Moroccan 1 
			 Rwandan 1 
			 Sierra Leonean 1 
			 Slovakian 1 
			 Slovenian 1 
			 Ugandan 1

Climate Change

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department  (a) has taken and  (b) intends to take by (i) 2012 and (ii) 2020 in relation to adaptation to the effects of climate change as they affect her Departmental responsibilities; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport (DfT) has contributed to the Climate Change Bill, recently introduced into Parliament, and the cross-Government Adaptation Policy Framework (APF), which is expected to be published in spring 2008.
	The Climate Change Bill will set out a requirement for the Government to produce the first UK risk assessment on climate change within three years. Following this, the Government will update the risk report and programme on a five-yearly basis, with one informing the other.
	The Adaptation Policy Framework will set out Government's overall intentions in relation to adapting to the effects of climate change. Following the APF, the Government's adaptation action plan will be published, which will include specific adaptation targets. As part of the APF, DFT are developing a Transport Adaptation Strategy, which will offer strategic guidance to DFT stakeholders in terms of risk analysis and management.
	In response to the Government's 2003 White Paper "The Future of Air Transport", UK airport operators have produced comprehensive master plans that rigorously evaluate the impacts of future airport development proposals, including the impacts of air travel on climate change.
	As well as funding industry research into climate adaptation through the Rail Safety and Standards Board, DFT has established a cross-rail industry forum to identify the challenges that climate change poses to the railway.
	DfT confirmed in the recent rail White Paper "Delivering a Sustainable Railway" (July 2007) that the specification of future rolling stock, starting with the Intercity Express train, will require suppliers to take account of climate adaptation issues in their designs. Network Rail is already designing increased resilience into its renewals work.
	The Department has recently completed some research on behalf of the UK Roads Board on adapting materials and techniques in highway works to the changing climate. This will be published as a guide for local authority highway engineers.
	The Highways Agency (HA) will deliver a strategy report on climate change adaptation by the end of March 2008, detailing how it can continue to provide a robust network in light of predicted UK climate change effects. The HA has already written two reports in conjunction with the Met Office, cross-referencing the weather-related parameters contained in their standards, specifications and operating procedures against predicted future UK climate change.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Complaints

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many customer complaints the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency received in the last 12 months, broken down by type of complaint received.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) manages more that 40 million driver and 32 million vehicle records. In financial year 2006-07 DVLA received a total of 6,668 complaint cases.
	This can be broken down into:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Drivers Complaints 958 
			 Vehicles Complaints 4671 
			 General Complaints 1,039

Railways: Tickets

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date the Government expects nationwide coverage for the use of smartcards on the national rail network to be reached.

Tom Harris: The recently let franchises—South Western, West Midlands, East Midlands and Intercity East Coast have a commitment to start the roll-out of smartcard ticketing by 2010, with the New Cross Country Franchise accepting smartcard tickets issued by other operators. The rail strategy White Paper "Delivering a Sustainable Railway", published this summer and available in the Library of the House contains more detail of the Government's intention to work with the rail industry to roll-out ITSO smartcards more widely across the network by the end of 2014.

Child Benefit: Personal Records

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what staff grade at HM Revenue and Customs have the  (a) authority and  (b) ability to (i) access the entire child benefit database and (ii) transfer data on that database to other storage devices.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 26 November 2007
	There is an ongoing police investigation and an independent review of HMRC's security processes and procedures for data handling by Kieran Poynter, the chair of PricewaterhouseCoopers.
	The full terms of reference for that review are available on the HM Treasury website at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/newsroom_and_speeches/press/2007/press_133_07.cf.

Child Benefit: Personal Records

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the personal details lost by HM Revenue and Customs, how many of those affected were  (a) adult and  (b) children in North West Cambridgeshire constituency, broken down by sex.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 27 November 2007
	 The missing information contains details of all child benefit recipients, including those in North West Cambridgeshire.
	Information on families receiving child benefit at 31 August 2006 by constituency are published as part of National Statistics and can be found in tables 1a, 2 and 3 of Child Benefit Statistics Geographical Analysis which are available on HMRC's website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_benefit/geog-aug06.pdf
	A break down of the requested information by gender could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Child Benefit: Personal Records

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of those whose data was lost by HM Revenue and Customs were  (a) adults and  (b) children of each sex in (i) Southend West constituency, (ii) Southend and (iii) Essex.

Jane Kennedy: The missing information contains details of all child benefit recipients, including those in Southend West constituency, Southend and Essex.
	Information on families receiving child benefit at 31 August 2006 by constituency and local authority are published as part of National Statistics and can be found in Tables 1a, 2 and 3 of child benefit statistics geographical analysis which are available on HMRC's website at:
	http//www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_benefit/geog-aug06.pdf
	A break down of the requested information by gender could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Child Benefit: Personal Records

John Randall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many child benefit claimants in  (a) Uxbridge constituency and  (b) the London borough of Hillingdon are affected by the loss of bank account details by HM Revenue and Customs.

Jane Kennedy: The missing information contains details of all child benefit recipients: including those in Uxbridge and the London borough of Hillingdon.
	Information on families receiving child benefit at 31 August 2006 by constituency and local authority are published as part of National Statistics and can be found in Tables 1a and 2 of Child Benefit Statistics Geographical Analysis which are available on HMRC's website at
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_benefit/geogaug06.pdf.

Child Benefit: Personal Records

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of those whose data was lost by HM Revenue and Customs were  (a) adults and  (b) children resident in (i) Ribble Valley constituency and (ii) Lancashire; and how many families this represents.

Jane Kennedy: The missing information contains details of all child benefit recipients including those from Ribble Valley and Lancashire.
	Information on families receiving child benefit at 31 August 2006 by constituency and local authority are published as part of National Statistics and can be found in Tables 1a and 2 of Child Benefit Statistics Geographical Analysis which are available on HMRC's website at
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_benefit/geogaug06.pdf.

Departmental Data Protection

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what reviews have been undertaken of his Department's rules on data protection in the last two years; if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the last review of his Department's compliance with data protection laws; and if  (a) his Department and  (b) his Department's agencies will undertake a review of their compliance with data protection laws.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 21 November,  Official Report, column 1179. The review by the Cabinet Secretary and security experts is looking at procedures within Departments and agencies for the storage and use of data. A statement on Departments' procedures will be made on completion of the review.

Departmental Pay

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of his Department's staff are employed within each salary band; what the title and role of each position within each salary band is; and for each salary band what the  (a) bonus structure,  (b) retirement provision,  (c) expenses provision,  (d) total expenses incurred in each of the last 10 years,  (e) average age of employee,  (f) number of (i) women and (ii) men and  (g) ethnic composition is.

Angela Eagle: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Salary band information as at 31 October 2007 
			  Salary Band  Range B  Range C  Range D  Range E  SCS Payband 1  SCS Payband 2  SCS Payband 3  Permanent Secretary 
			 Number of staff (FTE) 152.63 164.92 395.93 348.62 85.36 18.80 6 2 
		
	
	Posts within HM Treasury are known by ranges and not role titles.
	 Bonus Structure
	Bonuses are paid in two circumstances: performance bonuses are those linked to the annual staff appraisal system; special bonuses are those paid to recognise exceptional performance for specific contributions or pieces of work during the year or situations outside the normal expectations of the post.
	 Retirement Provision
	The retirement age for staff is 65
	 Expenses Provision
	Any expenses necessarily incurred by staff in conducting the business of the Department are reimbursed in accordance with HM Treasury's travel policy.
	Total expenses incurred in each of the last 10 years
	The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Average age, gender breakdown and ethnic composition
	This information is published as Civil Service Statistics 2006 on the Government statistics public website
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/2006CivilServiceStatistics.p

Departmental Telephone Services

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much each telephone contact centre for which his Department is responsible has  (a) cost and  (b) generated in income in each financial year since their establishment.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested relating to each specific Contact Centre is not readily available in the format requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	With regard to Income Generation, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Exchequer Secretary on 5 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1183W.

Departmental Travel

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much his Department spent on  (a) business and  (b) first class air travel in the last 12 months;
	(2)  how much was spent by his Department on first class train tickets in the last 12 months.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs. May) on 25 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1186W and to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 10 September 2007,  Official Report, column 1970W.
	This figure includes most, but not all, first-class train travel by HMT staff. We do not hold central records of train tickets bought with corporate credit cards or for which paper claims are submitted. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	All travel and subsistence is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code, Travel by Ministers and the Civil Service Management Code.

PriceWaterhouse Coopers

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what Government contracts have been awarded to PricewaterhouseCoopers for the purposes of administering an insolvency in which the Government was a creditor in the last 10 years; and what percentage of Government debt was recovered in each case.

Angela Eagle: Information on individual contracts is not held centrally and government interest in the contracts is not identified at project summary level. It would be necessary to review all professional services contracts with PricewaterhouseCoopers with each Department who may have been involved in insolvency work and this would incur disproportionate cost. Legal, contractual and ethical protocols safeguard propriety.

Revenue and Customs: Pay

Mark Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff were employed  (a) in each salary grade and  (b) in each region by HM Revenue and Customs (i) in 2005 and (ii) on the latest date for which figures are available.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 4 December 2007
	The numbers of staff employed by HM Revenue and Customs in each Government Office Region at the relevant dates are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  At 1 April 2005  SEO  Grade 6  Grade 7  SEO  HEO  EO  AO  AA  Total 
			 East of England 14 58 133 538 1,186 2,070 2,231 1,262 7,492 
			 East Midlands 12 73 176 332 748 1,377 1,659 974 5,351 
			 London 267 556 786 1,090 2,693 3,742 2,585 1,112 12,831 
			 North East 5 37 112 313 912 2,537 7,690 2,854 14,460 
			 Northern Ireland 2 15 37 92 300 762 1,082 403 2,693 
			 North West 39 144 294 619 1,774 3,796 6,814 2,473 15,953 
			 Scotland 17 67 153 252 908 2,410 5,204 1,703 10,714 
			 South East 6 57 179 398 1,597 3,694 3,632 1,446 11,009 
			 South West 5 45 127 161 665 1,427 1,749 939 5,118 
			 Wales 2 18 56 115 490 1,219 2,191 913 5,004 
			 West Midlands 17 103 217 339 939 1,686 2,053 1,065 6,419 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 12 49 146 274 851 1,848 2,731 1,381 7,292 
			 Unreported and elsewhere 3 3 8 10 42 146 95 27 334 
			 Total 40, 1,225 2,424 4,533 13,105 26,714 39,716 16,552 104,670 
			  At 1 October 2007  
			 East of England 8 40 116 400 1,048 1,814 1,857 865 6,148 
			 East Midlands 16 67 162 281 668 1,162 1,435 733 4,524 
			 London 271 524 757 948 2,152 2,872 2,114 845 10,483 
			 North East 7 36 114 280 772 2,217 7,152 2,670 13,248 
			 Northern Ireland 3 11 39 87 280 677 1,021 275 2,393 
			 North West 35 135 341 582 1,640 3,302 6,831 2,103 14,969 
			 Scotland 17 55 140 230 830 2,310 6,008 1,271 10,861 
			 South East 7 43 160 339 1,359 3,052 2,864 995 8,819 
			 South West 8 42 123 133 570 1,166 1,589 678 4,309 
			 Wales 1 15 46 106 451 1,082 2,158 773 4,632 
			 West Midlands 17 99 199 282 812 1,412 1,854 779 5,454 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 12 42 141 237 733 1,538 2,449 1,012 6,164 
			 Unreported and elsewhere 1 0 1 4 19 116 78 8 227 
			 Total 403 1,109 2,339 3,909 11,334 22,720 37,410 13,007 92,231

Welfare Tax Credits

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure that tax credit claimants are consulted before deductions are made to compensate for overpayments;
	(2)  what measures are in place to assist families in financial hardship as a result of tax credit overpayments;
	(3)  if he will take steps to ensure that repayment demands made of tax credit claimants who have received overpayments are affordable;
	(4)  what procedures are in place for consultations between his Department and HM Revenue and Customs to ensure that demands for repayments made to tax credit claimants who have been overpaid by both departments are affordable.

Jane Kennedy: HMRC's approach on recovery of overpayments is set out in Code of Practice 26 'What happens if we have paid you too much tax credits'. In cases where recovery is made from an ongoing award, a customer's award notice will confirm the amount of the overpayment and how much the award will be reduced by to recover the sum. To prevent hardship, payments from ongoing award are restricted to 10 per cent. of the tax credit award for those on maximum tax credits awards (those families with the lowest incomes). For those on a tapered award (those families whose income is higher than the WTC or CTC income threshold) recovery is set at 25 per cent. If families face financial difficulties on the reduced payments, they are advised to contact HMRC and ask for their case to be reconsidered.
	If the customer is no longer entitled to tax credits, or their tax credits award has ended, as the household has changed, HMRC will write asking for a direct payment. The customer can pay back the amount over 12 months or, if where a family says this would cause them financial hardship, over a longer period.
	In exceptional circumstances, HMRC may write off all or part of an overpayment if it would cause hardship to pay it back.
	I announced to the House on 18 October 2007,  Official Report, column 944, that HMRC will replace the "reasonable belief test" with a clearer test that will set out customer's responsibilities for checking factual information, and what in turn they can expect from HMRC.

Departmental Publicity

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many full-time equivalent staff are responsible for brand management and marketing in his Department and its agencies.

Anne McGuire: The amount of full-time equivalent staff responsible for brand management and marketing in the Department and agencies is set out in the following table. It is not possible to separate figures for each category as many posts combine both roles.
	
		
			  Agency  Staff 
			 Child Support Agency 4 
			 DWP Corporate 27 
			 Disability and Carers Service 1 
			 Health and Safety Executive 3 
			 Jobcentre Plus 92 
			 The Pension Service 11 
			 The Rent Service 5 
			 Total 143 
			  Note: These figures have been rounded to reflect part-time staff.

Incapacity Benefit

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many incapacity benefit claimants in receipt of incapacity benefit for two to five years have found  (a) employment and  (b) sustained employment in each year since 2000;
	(2)  how many incapacity benefit claimants in receipt of incapacity benefit for five years or more have found  (a) employment and  (b) sustained employment in each year since 2000;
	(3)  how many incapacity benefit claimants in receipt of incapacity benefit for between one and two years have found  (a) employment and  (b) sustained employment in each year since 2000.

Anne McGuire: The information is not available as claimants are not obliged to explain why they are leaving incapacity benefit, and the information we have therefore, is not considered to provide an accurate picture.

Incapacity Benefit: Appeals

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the  (a) cost of administering,  (b) number and  (c) average success rate was of appeals against refusal of incapacity benefit in each of the last 10 years.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is only available from 2000-01 and the costs are not broken down specifically by benefit type.
	The following table shows the total number of incapacity benefit appeals cleared at a hearing since 2000-01 and the number found in favour of the appellant. The cost figure for each year represents the average cost of clearing an appeal over the entire appeal caseload and not broken down specifically by benefit type, nor by type of clearance (hearing/non hearing).
	
		
			  Appeals for incapacity benefit 
			   Intake( 1)  Cleared at hearing( 2)  Found in favour of the appellant( 3)  Percentage  found in favour of the appellan t( 4)  Average cost of clearing an appeal (£) 
			 2000-01 48,520 37,520 15,190 40.5 213 
			 2001-02 49,770 35,440 14,890 42.0 222 
			 2002-03 61,150 43,030 19,630 45.6 235 
			 2003-04 62,970 47,490 22,250 46.9 243 
			 2004-05 62,610 44,540 21,150 47.5 253 
			 2005-06 63,650 50,270 23,680 47.1 262 
			 2006-07 66,694 52,264 25,900 49.6 261 
			 (1) The number of appeals accepted by the Tribunals Service (2) All decisions that went to hearing that were cleared. (3)( )All hearing decisions cleared in favour of appellant. (4)( )The percentage of all hearing decisions cleared in favour of appellant.  Source: The Tribunal Service, from GAPS and G2 Reports

Jobseeker's Allowance: Basic Skills

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of jobseeker's allowance claimants in receipt of basic skills training have succeeded in obtaining a basic skills qualification in each year since 1997.

James Plaskitt: Skills provision is a devolved issue. Responsibility for monitoring training outcomes rests with the Learning and Skills Council in England, Local Authorities in Scotland and The Welsh Assembly Government in Wales.
	Jobseekers allowance customers can undertake part-time skills training including basic skills courses without a referral from Jobcentre Plus provided it does not conflict with the work search requirements of their benefit. Jobcentre Plus would not routinely record qualification outcomes for these part-time courses.
	Some jobseekers allowance customers with identified basic skills needs that are a barrier to finding work are referred by Jobcentre Plus to full-time basic skills provision on a voluntary basis. These customers are supported by a training allowance.
	The recently published "Employment, Opportunity and Progression: making skills work" aims to build on these arrangements and provide a more integrated employment and skills service. Obtaining more comprehensive information about the skills as well as the work outcomes will be one element of the new approach.

Stevenage

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with the Leader of the House on the  (a) Ministerial role of and  (b) support for the hon. Member for Stevenage.

Peter Hain: holding answer 3 December 2007
	I have had no discussions with the Leader of the House on this subject. However, there have been various discussions at official level about the provision of administrative and logistical support from my Department to the Government Equalities Office, including ministerial support.